WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — A former Washington Redskins' cheerleader claims the report about an inappropriate trip the squad took to Costa Rica in 2013 are "blatantly false or extreme exaggerations."
RELATED: Report: Redskins' Cheerleaders tell New York Times about an inappropriate trip to Costa Rica
In a New York Times report, other Washington Redskins' cheerleaders said some of them were required to pose topless during a photo shoot, while sponsors, and FedExField suite holders, who were all men, were allowed to watch.
Charo Bishop went to Instagram on Friday after appearing on the Today Show to share her issues with the article.
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"One of my biggest problems with the article was the frequent use of the term 'we,'" she wrote. "The experiences described were not 'shared experiences' at all and those women did not have a right to speak on behalf of the entire cheerleader organization."
Although, the appearance on the Today show was setup by the Redskins, Bishop said she "personally felt compelled to speak up regarding the recent allegations...because I felt so strongly about bringing certain truths to light. The words I spoke are entirely my own."
Bishop said she is no longer affliated with the Redskins and would have a lot more to lose than gain by speaking up.
The full statement on Instagram:
Let it be clear that although our appearance on the @todayshow was orchestrated by the Redskins, I personally felt compelled to speak up regarding the recent allegations surrounding the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders because I felt so strongly about bringing certain truths to light. The words I spoke were entirely my own. I am no longer affiliated with the organization by any means + absolutely have nothing to personally gain; I actually have a whole lot to lose. It’s tough to stand up in this day + age of #MeToo and social media hatred at the click of a button, and I would definitely not have put my face + name on this segment unless I knew for certain that what I was speaking was honest + real.
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That being said, the NFL clearly has a long road ahead in terms of workplace equality... as do many industries + organizations. The reason I chose to speak this morning was to let you know, from a firsthand experience, that the majority of the allegations made in The NY Times article were blatantly false or extreme exaggerations. One of my biggest problems with the article was frequent use of the term “we.” The experiences described were not “shared experiences” at all and those women did not have a right to speak on behalf of the entire cheerleader organization, just as I am not claiming to do now. The story was a slander piece aimed to get lots of clicks and only presented one narrative of the story. As mentioned in the Today Show segment, facts are facts. The facts are that the words “force” and “escort” should be struck from the record.
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Our director Stephanie + the sisterhood of women who comprise this team did nothing but empower, support, and encourage me to use my voice as a woman. The goal should not be to further degrade organizations like this by casting a negative, reprehensible light + shutting them down; the goal is to continue to allow women to have the same wonderful, life-changing, empowering experience that I did (and that many of us did) by continuing to evolve + progress forward over time.
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PS - Hoda, Savannah, Carson, and the entire Today Show team could not have been any more welcoming + supportive. Thank you.
